'lockless' originates from English, specifically by compounding the noun 'lock' and the suffix '-less', where '-less' meant 'without'.

'lock' comes from Old English 'loc' meaning a fastening or enclosure; the productive suffix '-less' (from Old English '-leas') was added to form adjectives meaning 'without', producing 'lockless' in Modern English by combining these elements.

Initially it simply meant 'without a lock' in the literal sense; over time it has been specialized in technical contexts (especially computing) to mean 'not using mutual-exclusion locks' or 'designed to operate without locks'.